BABY TO BE

Harlequin American Romance #1035, September 2004

With a huge contract to be 'America's Girl Next Door' and a morality clause, plus-size model Jodie Marsh needs a husband to go with the new baby growing inside of her. Texas architect Travis Whitaker is the baby's father, but he doesn't agree to Jodie's proposal for a temporary marriage. He wants the real thing--including a big wedding in Ranger Springs, plenty of fringe benefits, and a commitment to the future. Jodie isn't used to counting on anyone but herself, but Travis can make his offer pretty tempting--especially with the way his kisses heat things up for Jodie.

Travis had sworn he would never marry again--a free-spending ex-wife and a mother who always resented her husband and child for getting in the way of her acting career had left him with a bad taste. But Jodie is something else. Not only does she drive him wild sexually (which is how she got pregnant in the first place), but the idea of being a father and a husband has a definite appeal. Of course, a husband has a right to be protective of his wife, right?

Despite the growing feelings they share, Travis's old-fashioned Texas chauvinism and Jodie's stuborn independence and insistence on pursuing her career create heat that goes far outside the bedroom. Can Jodie really be expected to give up everything she's lived for, dreamed of, just to be a Texas ornament for Travis? But can Travis let ad executives run his wife ragged--despite a pregnancy scare--without putting down his foot?

Author Victoria Chancellor (see more BooksForABuck.com reviews of novels by Chancellor) tells a heartwarming story of character growth. Getting married is easy, but staying married, becoming true partners, is a lot more difficult and Chancellor lets the reader take joy in their growth as Jodie and Travis face the challenges that stand in the way of their happiness. Chancellor fans will welcome back recurring characters from Ranger Springs. COMING HOME TO TEXAS is a charming treat.